เข้าสู่ระบบChapter Thirty-NineJade’s POVThe drive back felt different.Quieter.Not the empty kind of quiet that comes from nothing to say, but the kind that comes from too much. Too many questions. Too many emotions sitting heavy in my chest with nowhere to go.I kept my gaze on the window, watching the city slowly come back into view, but my mind wasn’t there.It was still in that garden.Still standing in front of that small gravestone.Still hearing his voice.I have a son.Not had but have.My fingers tightened slightly in my lap. I wanted to ask him.I wanted to ask everything.How did he die?How old was he?Was he sick?Was he alone?Did it hurt?The questions came one after the other, relentless, pushing against the back of my throat like they demanded to be spoken.But I didn’t.I couldn’t.Because I had seen his face.The way his jaw tightened.The way his voice shifted, almost imperceptibly.The way he held onto control like it was the only thing keeping everything from breaking.T
Chapter thirty eight Jade’s POV The gates in front of us were wrought iron, tall, intricate, and imposing. Beyond them stretched a garden unlike any I had seen. It was isolated, perfectly landscaped, a careful mix of wildflowers, sculpted hedges, and shaded paths that felt purposeful. Quiet, yes, but not lifeless. This place breathed.Killian turned off the engine. His hands lingered on the wheel for a moment longer, then he stepped out without looking at me. I followed silently, drawn forward by something I didn’t understand.“This place… it’s beautiful,” I said softly, the words barely escaping my lips.“It’s necessary,” he said simply, gesturing for me to walk with him. “Come.”We moved along the gravel path, surrounded by the quiet hum of nature. Everything felt deliberate. The spacing of the trees, the way the sunlight filtered through the leaves, the faint fragrance of jasmine. It wasn’t ostentatious. It was… protective. Like it was built to shield something precious.“You wa
Chapter thirty seven Jade’s POVI woke up aware of him.Not just that he was there.But the way he was there.His arm was still around me.Heavy and warm.Possessive in a way that didn’t feel forced.My back pressed lightly against his chest, his breath slow and steady against my neck.For a moment,I didn’t move.Because this…….this felt real.And that was the problem.I swallowed slowly, my fingers tightening slightly against the sheets as my thoughts caught up with me.Adam.The name hit me all over again.Sharp and unanswered.And just like that,The warmth behind me didn’t feel as comforting anymore.Carefully, slowly,I lifted his arm.It didn’t move easily.His grip tightened slightly, almost instinctively, like even in sleep he noticed.My breath caught.Then,A low, rough voice.“Where are you going?”I froze.“You’re awake?”His arm didn’t leave me.Didn’t loosen.If anything,It settled more firmly around my waist.“I wasn't,” he said quietly. “Until you started escaping.”
Chapter thirty six Killian ’s POVI knew she heard.I didn’t need to see her.Didn’t need to step into the hallway or check the shadows to confirm it.I just knew.Because the moment Caleb said his name,The air shifted.His name always did something to me, I could also see the regret in Caleb's eyes. Jade wasn’t careless.She didn’t linger where she wasn’t supposed to.But she listened, observed and noticed.And tonight,She heard something she wasn’t meant to.“Not yet,” I had said.And I meant it.Because the moment she found out about Adam,Everything would change.She would see me differently and I didn't want that. Not yet. Caleb leaned back against the chair, watching me with that familiar look.The one that said he wasn’t going to let this go.“You’re delaying the inevitable,” he said calmly.“I’m managing timing.”“You’re avoiding it.”I exhaled slowly.“I’m choosing when she finds out.”Caleb scoffed lightly.“You really think you’ll control that?”“Yes.”Because I had c
Chapter thirty five Jade’s POVThe house felt different tonight.Not quiet like before.Just full.Occupied.Alive in a way it hadn’t been when it was only Killian and me pretending we understood what this arrangement was supposed to be.Now Aurelia was here.Her small shoes near the staircase.Her voice echoing from somewhere down the hall.Her presence filling the space with something warm and unfamiliar.I had just finished setting the plates on the kitchen island when I heard small footsteps running toward me.“Mama!”I looked up just in time to catch Aurelia hugging my waist.I still wasn’t used to it.That word.Every time she said it, something inside me shifted slightly.Something soft.Something dangerous.I remember how she ran to hug me when Killian and I had returned from work together. He said I was always welcome to the office until I was ready to do me. “Slow down,” I said gently, brushing her hair back.“Daddy said Uncle Caleb is coming.”“Did he?”She nodded seriou
Chapter thirty four Jade’s POVThe word still echoed in my head.Mama.I stared at my reflection in the mirror, fingers brushing lightly over my face like I was trying to recognize the person looking back at me.Nothing had changed and yet,Everything felt different.“Jade?”His voice came from behind me.Low.Careful.I met his gaze through the mirror.Killian stood by the door, his expression unreadable as always, but there was something else there tonight.Something quieter.Less guarded.“She’s asleep,” he said.I nodded slowly.“Okay.”Silence stretched between us.Not awkward.Just, I don't, full?“You didn’t have to say yes.”My eyes flickered to his.“I know.”“Then why did you?”I hesitated.Because I didn’t have a simple answer.“She looked like she needed it,” I said finally.His gaze didn’t leave mine.“She has me.”“And?” I asked softly. “Is that always enough?”That question did something.I saw it.The slight shift.The way his jaw tightened just a little.But he didn’







